


Assembly Line AU

by sketchy_shark



Category: Borderlands
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8447095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sketchy_shark/pseuds/sketchy_shark
Summary: This story takes place in a futuristic society where humans are built in a factory on an assembly line. They are made fully grown but often end up missing a few body parts. These missing parts are replaced with robotic ones, and the new humans are sent out into the city to contribute to society. However, there is a social hierarchy system in place. The humans that need the least amount of robotic replacements are revered as the most important in society. Class 1 humans need no robot parts at all, and are made royalty. They are considered "perfect humans". Then there's Class 2, 3, and so on. The more robot parts a human needs, the lower their class.
Rhys is a Class 4 human who is fresh off the assembly line. He's confused and is just trying to fit in. Meanwhile, Jack is a Class 1 prince of the land. He is beloved like all the Class 1 and ends up in Rhys' town for a celebration. His whole life gets turned upside down when he falls in love with Class 4 Rhys. Rhys on the other hand is thrown for a loop of his own. To have a crush on a Class 1 was normal, but to have them return the feelings if you were a lower Class is unheard of. Rhys gets a whole new set of problems when he falls head over heels for Jack.





	1. Fresh Off The Assembly Line

It was dark. Very dark. Rhys couldn’t see anything, and it felt like he was just floating in darkness. A pair of robotic arms took hold of his arm and pulled him somewhere. Rhys didn’t know where exactly. The arms pulled a pair of shorts onto Rhys’ legs, and he was dropped onto a conveyer belt.

The light stung Rhys’ eyes at first, and his rear hurt from the fall. The conveyer belt began to move him forward. He groaned and looked around with his eyes. Well…eye. It didn’t take very long for Rhys’ to realize that he could only see with one of his eyes.

Rhys saw that he was in a factory of sorts, and he didn’t know how he got there. In fact, he didn’t have any memories at all. All he knew was what had just happened, and that was not very much. He knew his name though. That was as good a start as any.

The conveyer belt brought Rhys up to a man who was wearing a dress shirt and holding a tablet. The man looked up at Rhys a moment and then back down at the tablet.

“Name?” he asked.

“Oh! Um…Rhys. I think,” Rhys replied unsurely.

The man typed Rhys’ name into the tablet and looked up at the stump where Rhys’ right arm should’ve been. He checked a box on the tablet labeled “Right Arm: Whole”. The man quickly glanced at Rhys’ face and checked another box labeled “Left Eye: Whole”.

“You feel like you’re missing anything else? On your body?” the man inquired.

“Other than my arm and my eye, no,” Rhys answered.

The man pressed a button on the tablet, and it printed out a little piece of paper. He handed the paper to Rhys.

“Give that to the Replacer,” the man instructed.

Rhys nodded, still very confused, and the conveyer belt began to move Rhys again. Rhys was stopped again in front of the entrance to a large machine. By the door to the machine, there was a little slot labeled “Ticket”. Rhys slipped the paper into the slot. The machine hummed a moment as it processed what was written on the paper. Then, the door to the machine slid open, and the conveyer belt moved Rhys inside.

The inside of the machine was dark, and it was difficult to see very much. Rhys felt two syringes poke Rhys’ right shoulder and left cheek. The syringes injected a numbing drug into Rhys’ body. The robot arms went to work on Rhys. They measured his left arm and right eye to make his new robot parts the right size. The robotic replacements were built, and Rhys could feel the robot arms cutting into his shoulder to install his replacement arm. Rhys could feel the arms there, but the pain had been numbed by the previously injected drug. He also did not feel the pain of the new eye being installed in his empty socket.

After the arm and eye were installed, the conveyer belt moved Rhys out of the machine. A bit of confetti was sprinkled on Rhys’ head.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RHYS!” a robotic voice announced.

Rhys used his new, robotic arm to brush the bit of confetti off his head.

‘What’s all this? What is even happening?’ Rhys thought to himself.

The conveyer belt moved Rhys along again. At the end of the conveyer belt, Rhys was allowed to hop off and look around. Walking was wobbly and awkward at first, but Rhys soon got the hang of it. There wasn’t much to do except head through the door in front of him. The door was labeled “Chipping Room”. Rhys shrugged and stepped into the room. Maybe he’d finally get some answers.

Inside the room there was a TV screen on the wall, some pamphlets on a table, a few other things, and a woman holding a clipboard.

“Ah! Finally. You don’t know how boring it is to work here,” the woman said cheerily.

“Here? Um…where is…here?” Rhys asked.

“Oh yeah. This is Concordia’s Human Factory,” the woman explained. “Yeah. The Council is working on laws to regulate the population so the factories don’t make as many humans as they used to.”

A factory? Rhys was made in a factory? Rhys was really confused at this point. Her answer only raised further questions.

“Look, I know that it’s weird at first. I was made in this factory too, and my first day was rough too,” the woman replied with understanding. “Now come here. I need to do a quick check up, so you can be chipped.”

Rhys walked over to the woman. He still was unsure about who he was or where he was, but perhaps she’d have some more answers.

The woman glanced at Rhys’ arm and eye.

“Class 4…” she muttered to herself as she typed something on her tablet. “That’s like me. See?”

The woman pointed to her left leg which was entirely robotic. She also held up her left hand as well, showing that her ring finger was also robotic.

“Class 4? What does that mean?” Rhys asked.

“It’s how robotic you are. Class 4 isn’t too bad. It’s decent. Class 1 though… They’re so dreamy. They are truly perfect. They don’t need a single robotic part at all,” the woman sighed longingly.

The woman then went on to test Rhys’ vision, hearing, literacy, and reflexes. She also gave him a pair of jeans and a shirt to wear.

“There you go. You’re all set. I’m just going to chip you, and then you can go,” she said as she grabbed a device and walked over to Rhys.

“What are you-! Ow!” Rhys cried out as the woman pressed the end of the device to Rhys’ neck, and the device pierced his neck. “What was that?”

“Your chip. It has all your information on it. I put it in your neck,” she explained, handing Rhys a pamphlet. “Here. This should help you get settled here. However, the best thing you can do is make some friends that can help you. You can always come back to the factory for help if you’re really struggling. We can help you get situated.”

Rhys nodded as he skimmed through the pamphlet. The woman guided Rhys over to the factory exit. She waved goodbye to him as he stepped out into the city for the first time. She shut the door, and Rhys looked down at his pamphlet for advice.

The first thing you should do after exiting your factory is head to the free housing in your city to find a place to stay while you get settled into your new life.

Rhys shrugged and asked someone on the sidewalk for directions. The person kindly told him where to go. Rhys thanked him and headed there.

Rhys soon arrived at a street that was home to a number of apartment buildings. Rhys headed to the nicest looking building, but the owner told him that there were no vacancies there. Rhys went down the street and visited most of the nicer buildings. However, he was told that they were all full. Rhys sighed and headed to a smaller building. The building had graffiti on the walls but was otherwise was pretty average.

The owner of the building happily welcomed Rhys into the building and showed him to a room.

“You’ll have a roommate. I hope that that’s alright. I can kick him out if you don’t like him,” the owner offered.

“No no. It’s alright. I don’t mind,” Rhys insisted.

The owner shrugged and left Rhys to get settled in. Rhys turned and looked around the room a bit. It was small but tidy. In the living room there were two beds, a desk, and a small television on the wall. There was a door to the bathroom and one to the kitchen as well. A man was lying on one of the beds. He sat up and looked at Rhys.

“Oh, hey,” the man sighed as he put a pair of glasses on his face. “What are you? A 3 or 4?”

“Oh! You mean my Class? I was told that I am a 4,” Rhys replied.

The man stretched his arms as he climbed out of bed. The man was wearing a pair of green shorts and a messy, white tank top. Rhys noticed that the man’s legs were completely robotic as well as the man’s right, pointer finger.

“I’m a 6,” the man said. “I can only ask you to not have me kicked out, but I know it’ll probably happen anyway.”

“What? No! I’d never kick you out,” Rhys replied.

“Wait until you see how much better you are than me. You’ll see. You’ll want me to leave,” the man sighed.

“No. That won’t happen. I’m not better than you. I promise I won’t kick you out,” Rhys replied as he held out his robotic hand. “My name is Rhys.”

The man smiled and shook Rhys’ hand gently.

“I’m Vaughn,” the man greeted.

-

Jack woke up slowly. He stretched his arms as his alarm clock went off. Jack moved sluggishly out of his comfy, king-sized bed. Jack yawned and headed to his walk-in closet. He browsed through his many fancy outfits. Jack remembered that there was a Council meeting that day, so he grabbed a nice suit that had a black jacket, black pants, a gold colored tie, and a gray shirt. He slipped on a pair of white dress socks as well as the suit. Jack browsed through his many pairs of shoes and put on a pair of gold colored, dress shoes.

Jack headed to his bathroom to brush his hair and teeth. Once he was happy with his appearance, he headed to the Council Meeting Room. He got there right on time. A few minutes early actually.

Jack was the youngest of the Class 1’s, so he had a lot to prove. All the lower classes admired him already. Jack was quite the sensation, and he was particularly handsome. However, the other Class 1’s were still watching to see how much of a leader he was or if he was just another pretty boy to keep the public happy.

A few of the Council members were already there but not all of them. The ones that were there were happy to see that Jack had arrived on time. The Council patiently waited for everyone to arrive, and the meeting went quite smoothly. The next day was an important holiday called Birth Day. It celebrated the day that the first factory that made humans was invented.

It was a happy day for everyone to celebrate the technology that gave them life. Pretty much everyone didn’t know how humans first came to be without factories. How did humans come in to existence before the factories? Not even the Council members knew.

There were parades in each city of the kingdom celebrating Birth Day. The public was promised that each city would be visited by a Class 1 who would be in the parade and at parties. So each Council member was assigned a few cities to go to for the celebration.

All of the Council members were Class 1’s, and all Class 1’s were Council members. They made all the laws of the land, and were beloved by the public.

Jack was assigned one city. He was the youngest after all, and it was his first time being involved in Birth Day. He had been around for a few years, but it was his first year going to a Birth Day parade. He was only given one city because the other Council members feared that he wouldn’t do a good job. They didn’t want to have to do too much damage control if he screwed up. If he only had to go to one city, they could test his social skills as well as not to deal with a huge mess if he was awful. Jack was assigned the city of Concordia.

Jack was excited. He’d never been outside the capital city of Helios.

The meeting was adjourned, and Jack headed back to his bedroom after he was given the schedule for Birth Day. He sat on his bed and looked over the events he was scheduled to attend. A fancy brunch, then an art showing, then the main parade, then two parties, then a lunch buffet event, then three more parties, and lastly a large dinner and gala.

Jack chuckled nervously. That was a lot of stuff. It all sounded fun, but it also sounded tiring.

‘How in the world does everyone else visit more than one city?’ Jack wondered.

Jack set the schedule down on his nightstand. He decided to take the rest of the day to relax since he had so much to do on Birth Day.

“Concordia…” Jack mumbled to himself as he lay down on his soft bed. “Wonder what it’s like there…”


	2. The Day Before Birth Day

Rhys didn’t have any belongings to put away, so moving in to his new apartment didn’t take very long. He just sat down on the other bed.

“May I sleep here?” Rhys asked.

“Yeah sure,” Vaughn shrugged. “I prefer this bed here, so you can have that one. Do you snore?”

Rhys was about to answer, but Vaughn interrupted.

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I have no right to ask you about that anyway,” Vaughn sighed.

Rhys looked at his roommate with worry. What kind of society had he been born into? Did Class really matter so much in this world?

“I don’t think I snore. I mean, no one has ever told me if I do,” Rhys replied as he moved over to sit by Vaughn on the other bed. “You can ask me anything you want. If I’m being annoying, you can tell me to shut up. I don’t know much about this place, but I know that you are my friend. You are no lesser than I am.”

Vaughn sighed and stared at the floor. Rhys looked at his disheartened friend, and an idea popped into Rhys’ head.

“You know, I bet I am better than you. I bet I could beat you at anything,” Rhys said mockingly.

Rhys was not being mean of course. He was trying to get Vaughn to challenge him to a contest, so Vaughn could have a chance to see that he should believe in himself. Unfortunately, Vaughn simply nodded in response to Rhys’ taunts.

“Come on! Let me beat you a few times at something. Anything. You name it,” Rhys insisted.

Rhys looked at Vaughn’s buff arms.

“How ‘bout an arm-wrestling match. I don’t want you to hold back at all. I mean it. Give it all you’ve got,” Rhys urged.

Vaughn sighed again, but he couldn’t turn down an arm-wrestling match. Vaughn grabbed the nightstand and set it down between the beds. He kneeled on one side of the nightstand while Rhys kneeled on the other side. Rhys put his left elbow on the table and held out his left hand to Vaughn.

“You’re gonna lose!” Rhys taunted.

Vaughn stayed silent, but he smirked a little bit. He was feeling competitive. He knew he’d probably lose, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. Vaughn grabbed Rhys’ hand with his left arm.

“Ready… Go!” Rhys shouted as he pushed on Vaughn’s arm as hard as he could.

Rhys wanted Vaughn to win. However, Rhys knew if he didn’t try his hardest, then Vaughn would know. Vaughn had to win fair and square or else it wouldn’t mean anything. It soon became apparent that Rhys had nothing to worry about.

Rhys pushed as hard as he was able to, but Vaughn didn’t budge. Vaughn looked up at Rhys and chuckled a little.

‘Maybe I’m not so bad after all,’ Vaughn thought.

Vaughn pushed on Rhys’ arm a little bit, and Rhys watched as Vaughn pinned his arm with ease. Rhys was so happy, but his arm was really sore. Vaughn let go of Rhys’ hand, and Rhys held his arm with his robotic one.

“Ow ow ow ow ow…” Rhys groaned and looked over at Vaughn. “See? I’m a wimp. You’re awesome!”

Vaughn smiled and laughed.

“You did that all to make me feel better? I knew you weren’t really that mean,” Vaughn chuckled as he stood up.

“Hey! I was trying to beat you!” Rhys retorted with a smile.

“Yeah, but you didn’t want to beat me,” Vaughn replied as he flexed his arms a bit. “You couldn’t beat me anyway. Not while I have these muscles!”

Rhys laughed as he stood up. Vaughn chuckled and moved the nightstand back to its place.

“You’re pretty awesome too,” Vaughn said as he walked back over to Rhys. “Are you excited for Birth Day tomorrow? Just curious.”

“What’s Birth Day?” Rhys asked.

“What? You don’t know what Birth Day is? It’s the most important celebration in the whole kingdom!” Vaughn gasped with shock. “Were you born today?”

“Actually, yes,” Rhys replied.

“That explains a lot actually…” Vaughn chuckled. “Well, it’s a big celebration commemorating the day that the first human factory was invented. There’s a big parade before lunch and lots of parties all day. I’ve always wanted to see the parade, but last time I tried to go watch it, I got mugged.”

“Oh Vaughn, that’s awful…” Rhys replied. “The mugging I mean.”

“We can just watch the parade on the TV. I can get some snacks and invite a couple friends over. Don’t worry, they’re cool,” Vaughn replied.

“No way. I’m taking you to see that parade even if it kills me,” Rhys insisted.

“You don’t have to. It’s alright. I can just see it on TV,” Vaughn shrugged. “No big deal.”

“We’re gonna see that parade in person, Vaughn,” Rhys replied firmly. “I promise you.”

Vaughn smiled.

“Alright,” Vaughn chuckled. “We’ll go try to see the parade in person, but you will need something to wear. It’s a formal event. You at least need shoes.”

Rhys looked down at his bare feet.

“I’ll take you out to get something nicer,” Vaughn replied as he picked up his wallet.

Vaughn counted his money. He set aside some money for food and some for Birth Day. There was a fair that got set up on one side of town every year on Birth Day, and Vaughn wanted to go there for a bit. Vaughn handed Rhys $75.

“That’s all I’ve got for you to get a new outfit. I need money for food and stuff. You know how it is,” Vaughn shrugged. “I’m not gonna make you pay me back for this, okay? But if you need another loan, then you will pay me back for that. This is the only gift I’m going to give you that’s not for your birthday.”

Rhys nodded as he looked at the money.

“Don’t worry. You should be able to find a job around here pretty soon,” Vaughn assured him. “I’ve already got something I can wear. Want me to go shopping with you?”

Rhys nodded. Vaughn put on some different clothes and slipped on his sneakers. Vaughn locked the apartment when they left. They went to downtown Concordia to shop.

Downtown Concordia was always a busy place. The streets were always busy with cars, and the sidewalk was bustling with people. Of course, it was nothing compared to downtown Helios, but it was still quite lively. Downtown Concordia had a movie theater, a theater for live performances, some of the best restaurants in the kingdom, a beautiful park, and lots and lots of shops.

“Where should we go to get an outfit?” Rhys asked.

“Nowhere too expensive. I have a little store in mind. Let’s go,” Vaughn replied.

-

Jack got out of his bed after a while. He had tried to go back to sleep, but he was already awake. He wondered what he could do to pass the time. He could go to the gym, but he didn’t want to work out when he had so much to do the next day. He could go hangout downtown for a while, but he knew that he was going to be in a bustling city all day the next day. Jack finally decided to go to the palace gardens for a bit.

Jack headed out of his room and down the stairs. He stopped by the kitchen and picked up a snack. He would’ve preferred potato chips, but the kitchen staff gave him a bowl of fruit and vegetables.

“We’re so sorry!” the head chef said with a bow. “Tassiter said that you should have a diet of only fresh food. We can prepare you something else if you want.”

“No no. It’s alright. Tassiter told me to tell you that he wants mustard injected into his steak for lunch,” Jack replied.

The head chef nodded.

“Oh, and if he doesn’t really like it, tell him that I messed up his order. He won’t get mad at you,” Jack replied.

The chef nodded again.

Jack smiled and headed out to the garden. He chuckled to himself a little bit. Tassiter hated mustard.

Jack wandered through the garden a bit and admired the grand collection of flora. There were a few statues placed around the garden as well. Jack soon walked up to an empty platform. There was going to be a statue of him placed there, but it wasn’t done yet. Jack groaned as he remembered the hours of posing he did so they could take what must’ve been a hundred photos. He also recalled the hours he spent sitting with the artists as they tried to choose a photo to base the statue off of. The artists wouldn’t go with the picture of him giving the camera the finger.

Jack moved on to a bush of yellow roses near the empty platform. He picked a rose and held it in his hand. Jack set the rose down on the platform and smiled.

“This place would be so much better with a statue holding up the finger,” Jack chuckled.

Jack headed to the palace stables. When Jack heard that the palace had stables, he thought it would be easier to count the things that the palace didn’t have. He wanted to see Buttstallion real quick.

The beautiful, white horse was in his stall. Jack walked up to the stall and smiled at his horse. The horse turned and stuck its head out of the stall window for Jack to pet him. Jack chuckled and gently pet the horse’s forehead and neck.

“Love you, Buttstallion,” Jack said with a smile. “I’ll get you a carrot. I know they’re your favorite.”

Jack asked one of the workers for a carrot for Buttstallion. The worker happily obliged and gave him a whole carrot for the horse. Jack brought the carrot to Buttstallion and held it out to him. Buttstallion took a large bite and began chewing it happily. Jack put the carrot top in the compost bin and came back over to his horse.

“I have a big day tomorrow, so I’m not gonna ride you right now. I promise that on the day after tomorrow I’ll take you for a long ride in the fields,” Jack told the horse.

Jack gave the horse some more petting and left the stables. Before Jack got back to the main building of the palace, he was approached by someone.

“Oh! Hey…you,” Jack greeted awkwardly.

He couldn’t remember the guy’s name.

“Professor Nakayama. That’s my name,” the guy replied.

“Right. Yes. Namayaka. What is it?” Jack asked.

Jack remembered this scientist. He was working on genetic experiments and stuff with animals. The scientist really liked the Class 1’s. Jack especially.

“I engineered an awesome animal!” Nakayama exclaimed excitedly, hoping to impress Jack.

“Cool. Cool,” Jack said, nodding.

Jack tried to take Nakayama seriously, but when he got all hyper, it made Jack feel uneasy.

“And…I made it so that it really likes you!” Nakayama added.

“Okay… Why?” Jack asked.

“Because then it can protect you or something!” Nakayama answered happily. “Isn’t that cool?”

Jack had to admit. It did sound kind of cool to have an animal bodyguard, but he didn’t really want this creature that Nakayama mentioned around him yet. Not without further testing.

“Sounds pretty interesting, but you should test it further. If you work on improving it, then I’ll consider having one,” Jack replied.

Nakayama nodded excitedly.

“Thank you so much, Jack!” the scientist yelled to Jack as he ran off.

Jack sighed and headed back into the palace. He climbed the stairs and went back into his room. He walked into his big closet and looked through his clothes. He figured that he might as well pick out an outfit for Birth Day while he wasn’t busy.

Jack finally settled on a gold and black tuxedo. It was kind of like the suit he was already wearing but fancier. The tux had a few gold details on the jacket and pants. It also had a cute, gold bowtie.

Jack set the tuxedo on the chair at his desk. He thought about what else he could do for the rest of the day. Jack checked the clock. It was about noon. Lunch time. Jack waited in silence for a while.

“JAAACK!” a voice boomed from downstairs.

It was Tassiter’s voice. Jack smiled and giggled mischievously.


	3. Birth Day Parade

Rhys followed Vaughn through downtown Concordia. The sidewalk was crowded. The next day was Birth Day after all. A lot of people liked to buy each other presents or host their own parties for Birth Day.

Rhys stayed as close to Vaughn as he could. He didn’t want to get lost, and he knew he would if he lost sight of Vaughn. Rhys followed as Vaughn quickly turned into a small store. The store wasn’t very crowded. No customers besides Rhys and Vaughn were in the store at the moment. Rhys breathed deeply to calm himself. The bustling streets had really shocked him.

“Yeah. It’s a lot busier downtown than back in the Free Housing District,” Vaughn replied as he pat Rhys on the back. “It’ll be okay. We’ll get what you need and hurry back home.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask… Why is there…a Free Housing District…? I mean…I get that people have no money when they come out of… the factories…but why doesn’t everyone just live in the free places?” Rhys asked.

“Well, the free houses are just small apartments. Even the nicer ones have limited space,” Vaughn answered. “Most people, once they have the money, move out to other places. I’m still mooching off the free housing system though. I don’t need much space, and it helps to save money. The system is far from perfect. There are plenty of people who stay in the free houses as long as they can, but the owners often put higher Classes before others.”

“Why?” Rhys asked.

“It’s just the way this place is…” Vaughn sighed. “Don’t ask me. I was only born 7 years ago. I don’t have the money for education or a computer. I don’t know much about the history of this society. But yeah… The way lower Classes like 8, 9, 10. They get the worst of it. A lot of the time, they’re denied housing or get kicked out in favor of higher Classes. It sucks. I’ve been kicked out of houses…four times.”

“Jeez…” Rhys sighed. “That sucks…”

“Hey!” a woman at the counter shouted. “You gonna have some more touching moments or are you gonna buy something?”

The woman wore a nice, white hat atop her head. Her left arm was robotic but only her forearm and hand. She also had a fancy looking jacket.

“Oh shut up, Fiona,” Vaughn retorted. “Of course we’re going to buy something.”

“Who’s your new bro? What Class is he?” the woman named Fiona asked.

“This is Rhys. He’s a Class 4,” Vaughn replied.

“Class 4? Then why’s he hanging out with you and in my store? You’re a Class 6, and my store is shit,” Fiona inquired as she looked Rhys up and down. “Was he born today?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t matter. He’s cool,” Vaughn insisted and then turned to Rhys. “Rhys, this is Fiona. She runs this store as a cover for her illegal antics.”

“Hush!” Fiona snapped. “You can’t just go blurting that out! Not to people like him.”

“H-hey! I’m not that bad! I won’t tell on you,” Rhys assured her.

“You’re a Class 4. I’m a 5. I don’t often trust anyone above me. They’re mostly jerks, and you look pretty jerky,” Fiona replied harshly.

“Be nice, Fiona. He’s not a jerk. We’re just here to buy an outfit,” Vaughn sighed.

“Fine. Just pick something. Preferably something more expensive,” Fiona replied, rolling her eyes.

Rhys rubbed his neck and walked over to one of the racks of clothing. He browsed through some dress shirts. Rhys saw a shirt that was dark blue with white, vertical stripes on one side. He picked it out and showed it to Vaughn.

“What do you think?” Rhys asked.

“It’s stupid,” Fiona said. “I got that from someone who was too lazy to stitch the rest of the stripes on the shirt. Hmm…you can have it for $15.”

“You know, it’s not very smart to insult the clothes you’re selling, and then offer a price,” Vaughn replied with a smirk. “I think it looks cool, Rhys.”

Rhys nodded and went to pick out a pair of pants to wear. Rhys soon settled on a pair of black dress pants and some dark brown dress shoes.

“I’ll sell you the pants for $15 and the shoes for $40,” Fiona offered. “Cash only. I don’t charge tax by the way, so be grateful.”

“Oh. I may need a tie,” Rhys said.

“Ties are $10 each,” Fiona replied.

“I don’t have that much…” Rhys sighed.

Fiona sighed, reached under the desk, and found a roll of red ribbon. She cut off a long piece and set the piece on the counter.

“You can have this for free,” she said.

“I’ll take it,” Rhys shrugged as he handed Fiona the money.

Fiona gave him his $5 back.

“Thanks for shopping. You better not tell a soul about this place, okay?” Fiona said as Rhys turned to leave.

“Right. I won’t tell a soul,” Rhys replied with a nod. “Thank you.”

“Wait!” Fiona said suddenly.

Rhys and Vaughn turned quickly around to face her.

“I just got a bit of gossip for you. I heard that they’re sending the new Class 1 to our city this year. So yeah. Now get out,” Fiona added as she shooed them out of her store.

Rhys and Vaughn exited the store and began heading back home. Rhys was still overwhelmed by the large crowd on the sidewalk. He was relieved to get back out of downtown. That place was crazy. The two guys soon got back to their apartment.

Vaughn opened the door, and they went inside. Rhys sat down on his bed as Vaughn locked the door for the night.

“I’m going to go to the kitchen and grab some food for dinner. Are you okay with a sandwich?” Vaughn asked.

Rhys nodded, and Vaughn went into the kitchen to prepare some sandwiches for dinner. Vaughn brought the sandwiches out on two separate plates. He handed Rhys his sandwich and sat across from Rhys on the other bed.

“Thanks, Vaughn,” Rhys said with a smile.

“No problem. I hope you like it,” Vaughn replied.

Rhys wolfed down his sandwich. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was. Vaughn smiled at Rhys.

“Are you starving or is my cooking just that good?” Vaughn asked jokingly.

“It’s good,” Rhys replied with a smile as he swallowed the last bite. “I have a quick question. Who’s the new Class 1? Like in general, who are they?”

“The Class 1’s are the leaders of this whole kingdom we live in and all the different cities. For Birth Day, every city gets a visit from at least 1 of the Class 1’s. This year, we got assigned Jack I guess. He’s the youngest Class 1. I think he’s…3 or 4 years old. I don’t know what he’s like. The other Class 1’s have kept him up in the big palace in Helios City for his education,” Vaughn explained. “He was on the news for a bit for his coronation, but no one has seen too much of him yet.”

“Interesting… Is he going to be in the parade?” Rhys asked.

“Yeah. The Class 1 is always in the parade,” Vaughn replied. “Maybe you’ll see him. The Class 1’s are pretty cool. They came out of the factory perfect. They’ve got nothing missing or replaced.”

“I guess that is kind of cool, but I bet none of them have muscles like you, bro,” Rhys chuckled.

“Yeah,” Vaughn chuckled, and then he yawned. “I think we better get to bed. Big day tomorrow.”

Vaughn took the plates back to the kitchen and curled up in his bed. Rhys nodded and lay down in his bed.

-

Jack waited for Tassiter to leave the dining room before sneaking in to the kitchen to grab lunch. The chefs gave him a salad and sandwich to eat. Jack shrugged and ate the food in his room. It was pretty good. Then, Jack spent a few hours in the game room to kill some time. He played on a few of the old arcade machines, and then he played a more advanced, shooter game. After that, Jack had to go eat dinner with the other Class 1’s.

Jack had to sit by Tassiter during the meal. It was silent for most of the meal. Usually, dinner was a quite sociable time, but everyone could sense a bit of tension.

“It was just a joke, you know. You don’t have to be so uptight,” Jack said at last.

“This is not about me, Jack. You need to be more mature with how you handle things,” Tassiter retorted.

“Okay. Fine. But you didn’t have to restrict my diet,” Jack argued.

“Yes I did,” Tassiter replied.

“Why?” Jack asked.

Tassiter was silent awhile, choosing his words carefully.

“You need to eat healthy foods to maintain your appearance,” Tassiter answered.

“You’re allowed to look like a rat man. Why am I expected to be perfect?” Jack snapped.

“You aren’t expected to be perfect! You need to keep up your looks as a backup plan!” Tassiter hissed angrily.

“What?! A ‘backup plan’? In case what? Wait. Do you have NO faith in me? Do you think I’m going to be a bad leader or something? Is your ‘backup plan’ to make me some mascot?” Jack roared as he slammed his fist on the table.

“Control your temper! Tomorrow you’ll have a chance to prove your social skills,” Tassiter snapped.

Jack scowled at Tassiter. Jack took his plate of half eaten food back to the kitchen.

“Was it not to your liking, sir?” the head chef asked worriedly.

“It was good. I just lost my appetite,” Jack replied and then left to go up to his room.

Jack changed into his pajamas and climbed into his bed. He didn’t need Tassiter’s shit. Jack was going to prove himself the next day. It did not take long for Jack to fall asleep. His bed was quite comfortable and soft.

-

Rhys and Vaughn were running around getting dressed. They had woken up later than expected, and they needed to hurry to see the parade. Rhys was throwing off his shirt and jeans as he grabbed his new, dress clothes. He wrestled himself into the new outfit while Vaughn was getting ready as well.

“Damn… I don’t have any socks,” Rhys grumbled after he had got his shirt and pants on.

Vaughn tossed Rhys an extra pair of his socks.

“Thanks, bro!” Rhys chuckled as he caught the socks and started putting them on.

Rhys got on his shoes after he had put on the socks. Vaughn was standing by the door, waiting for Rhys to be ready.

“Alright,” Rhys said. “I’m ready.”

“What about your ribbon…I mean tie?” Vaughn asked.

“Right!” Rhys said as he grabbed the ribbon.

Vaughn helped Rhys tie it on. However, the ribbon was too long and dangled down below the waist of Rhys’ pants.

“Don’t worry,” Rhys said as he tucked the end of his tie into his pants. “There. That’s better.”

Vaughn was a bit confused by this fashion choice, but they were in a rush.

“Alright. Let’s go! We don’t want to miss the parade!” Vaughn replied as he pulled Rhys out the door and locked the apartment.

The two rushed out of the building to downtown Concordia. The parade had not quite started yet, but all the floats were set up and about to start. A lot of guards were standing by the sidewalk as they set up the ropes to prevent the crowd from running into the street. A large crowd was already gathered and were waiting impatiently for the parade to begin.

“Where should we stand?” Rhys asked, fearing the large, excited crowd.

“We can stay here. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see the floats, but I know you don’t like crowds,” Vaughn replied with an understanding smile.

The floats began to hover slowly down the street. Most vehicles still used wheels, but heavier vehicles were built with hover pads on the bottom instead. Although, the floats looked more like floating islands than vehicles.

The crowd cheered as the floats moved down the street. In total, the parade had ten floats. People seemed particularly excited about the last one. Rhys couldn’t see that float yet.

The first float was a model replica of the capital city of Helios. It was much smaller than the actual city, but a lot of detail was done on the float. The castle was the highlight of the float. It looks like it was carved out of a giant pearl. It wasn’t, but it looked like it was.

The second float looked like the inside of a factory. At least, part of the inside of a factory. It showed the place where humans were dropped out of, the conveyer belt, and the replacer.

The next six floats depicted different points of the history of the kingdom. A few of the floats showed different wars. One of them showed the first members of the council. One float showed replicas of different works of priceless art.

The ninth float was particularly fun. A few popstars that lived in Concordia were up on the float singing and dancing together. The float was decorated with bright lights and party decorations. It looked so much fun.

Then, at last, the tenth float hovered past Rhys and Vaughn. On the float were a few guards, a large, gold and black throne, and the most beautiful thing Rhys had seen all day. There was a man sitting on the throne. He wore a very fancy, black and gold tuxedo. A gold crown was atop his head. He was waving casually to the crowd. He had very beautiful, mismatched eyes. One a calming blue, and the other a luscious green. His swoopy hair was a beautiful brunette, and he had a wonderful smile.

Rhys leaned on the ropes as the float passed.

“Who’s that?” Rhys asked.

“That’s Jack,” Vaughn answered with a smirk. “Do you like him?”

“Yes. Yes, I do,” Rhys replied, leaning a little more on the ropes.

Rhys stumbled and almost fell over the ropes. Vaughn grabbed Rhys’ shirt and pulled him away from the ropes before he fell.

“Careful now,” Vaughn warned. “I see you’ve got a little crush. Try not to think about it too much. He’s out of your league. He’s out of almost everyone’s league.”

“He’s…so handsome…” Rhys sighed.

“Oh boy…” Vaughn sighed.


	4. The Gala

Jack had changed into his black and gold tux for Birth Day. It was finally the big day. Jack’s chance to prove himself. Jack was swiftly guided to one of the private jets, and he was flown all the way to Concordia. He arrived in just under an hour at 7:15am. With him on the trip was a troop of guards, a few advisors, and the person in charge of keeping him on schedule for all the events.

The brunch was pretty fun. The food was good, but a lot of the guests were really uptight. Jack didn’t mind, but he did prefer a more relaxed crowd. The art showing was pretty cool too. Jack wanted to stay longer to admire all the cool art, but the guy in charge of scheduling really wanted to rush him along to get ready for the parade.

Jack was ushered quickly to the last float and onto the throne. Jack wasn’t really complaining. He got to sit and enjoy a nice ride. He had to smile and wave of course, but that wasn’t a big deal. Jack looked out at the crowd as his float rolled by. He waved at them as they started in awe at the supposedly flawless man. Then, Jack noticed one person in particular. The man Jack saw had brown hair and was wearing a weird, red tie. Jack didn’t really get a good look at the man, but he did see the guy almost fall over the ropes. Jack chuckled to himself. Jack did want to talk to the man, but he didn’t really have a chance during the parade. The floats just kept hovering along. Jack could only hope that the man would pop up later at one of the parties.

-

Rhys moved down the sidewalk to keep up with the float, but the crowd wanted to do the same. Jack was soon gone from Rhys’ view. Vaughn grabbed Rhys’ hand and held onto him. He quickly guided Rhys out of the swarming crowd.

“Thanks…bro…” Rhys breathed as he gasped for air.

“You have already got it pretty bad for him don’t you? Try to get him out of your head, okay?” Vaughn sighed, shaking his head.

“I know. I know. It’s probably not gonna happen, but…oh I want him so bad,” Rhys replied.

Vaughn pat Rhys’ shoulder gently.

“I know you do. I had a crush on a Class 1 once. They never even looked at me,” Vaughn told Rhys. “They only end up with other Class 1’s and on occasion, a Class 2. It’s just better if you forget about him.”

“Okay okay, but is there any chance I could just…see him? One more time?” Rhys asked hopefully.

Vaughn sighed with a chuckle as he shook his head.

“There’s a gala tonight. Jack will be there, and anyone can attend. Of course, most people around Class 5 get mugged or beat up before they get there…” Vaughn answered.

“I can go on my own if you don’t want to. I promise I’ll be safe. I don’t want you to go if you don’t want to,” Rhys offered.

“No way. I’m going if you’re going. You’d be lost without me,” Vaughn said with a confident nod. “You need me, and I’m not leaving you.”

Rhys wanted to argue, but he knew Vaughn was right. Rhys would be completely lost without Vaughn.

“Right. However, before we go to the gala, I insist that we do whatever YOU want until then,” Rhys insisted.

“Deal. I’m not going to argue with that,” Vaughn chuckled. “We’re going to Birth Day fair.”

Vaughn led Rhys elsewhere downtown. A large fair was set up with rides, games, and food. Vaughn had saved $50 for the fair, and he was excited to spend all of it.

Rhys and Vaughn rode a few rides. Well, Vaughn rode a few rides. Rhys went on one and almost threw up, so Vaughn went on the rest of the rides by himself. They tried some of the games. Rhys owned at the game where you knocked over bottles by throwing a ball. He won Vaughn a big, stuffed toy cat. Lastly, they got some cotton candy and headed back to the apartment.

“That was fun,” Vaughn giggled as he set the toy cat by his bed. “You’ve got some cotton candy stuck to your face.”

Rhys chuckled and wiped the cotton candy off of his chin.

“Alright. We should head to the gala now,” Vaughn said as he threw the empty cotton candy stick into the trash.

Rhys nodded excitedly. Vaughn looked at his clothes and at Rhys’ clothes. They weren’t too messy, so they decided going to the gala immediately. Vaughn decided that they were just going to walk to the hall where the gala was being held. They could’ve gotten a taxi, but Vaughn didn’t want to deal with traffic or a really condescending cab driver.

They soon reached Concordia’s Dance Hall. It was a large building that was reserved for mostly private celebrations. However, the Birth Day gala was a public event. Anyone could attend. Anyone high Class or brave enough that is. A pair of guards were standing by the entrance. The guards were giving all the guests a quick pat down. There was a Class 1 inside after all. They didn’t want to take any chances.

Rhys was given a quick pat down. Vaughn’s took a bit longer, almost as if the guards wanted to find something illegal on him. Vaughn was in the clear though, and Rhys and him were allowed inside.

The whole place was decorated gorgeously. There were elegant flowers on every table, flowing curtains on every window, bright ribbons around every column, and other brilliant decorations as far as the eye could see. The entrance hall was set up as just a place to mingle. There was a doorway on the right leading to the dining hall. The dining hall had an enormous buffet and lots of tables to eat at. There was a bar in there too, but no alcohol was being served there. Through a doorway on the left of the entrance hall was the dance hall. The floor shimmered with gold glitter, and a disco ball was hanging from the ceiling. The disco ball was spinning slowly with only soft lights coming from it. The music wasn’t too exciting at the moment. Through a doorway at the back of the entrance hall was a hall to a series of other rooms for games, show casing art, or lounging.

“Whoa…” Rhys said as he looked around and admired the shimmering décor.

“Whoa indeed,” Vaughn agreed.

Vaughn had also never seen such expensive and fancy decorations. Most of the guests were wearing elaborate outfits with lots of jewelry. Vaughn felt a little out of place amongst the high Classed elites.

“Um... Let’s just go hang out by the bar for a bit,” Vaughn said to Rhys. “We can get some…lemonade or something.”

Rhys saw how nervous his friend was. Rhys wanted to spend some time looking for Jack, but his loyalty to Vaughn had to come first. They headed over to the bar to hang out for a bit. Vaughn slurped down a fancy lemonade to calm down a bit. The drinks were free, so he ordered another. Rhys sat by Vaughn and looked around at the crowd. Rhys didn’t see Jack anywhere so he sighed and ordered some grapefruit juice to drink. Rhys sipped the drink slowly with disappointment. Had he come to the gala for nothing?

“Heyyy…” a deep, handsome voice said. “Aren’t you that guy who almost fell over at the parade?”

Rhys turned around quickly to see Jack standing behind him.

-

Jack was exhausted from the parties from earlier that day. He was really looking forward to the gala at the end of the day. It was supposed to be a much more relaxed event.

At last, the time for the gala came. All Jack had to do was walk around and make some small talk. For while, everything was pretty relaxed. Jack was just strolling around, talking about how things were in Helios. Then he spotted him. The guy. The one who almost fell during the parade. Jack recognized that brown hair and oddly patterned shirt.

Jack walked over to the man and greeted him.

“Aren’t you that guy who almost fell over at the parade?” Jack asked with a chuckle.

The man turned quickly to face Jack. Jack saw the man’s blue eye.

‘Class 2 perhaps? That’s fine. None of the Council members should have a problem with it if I…flirt with this guy,’ Jack thought to himself.

Jack walked up to the man and stood in front of him. The man looked absolutely star-struck when he saw Jack. Jack was used to that reaction at this point, but Jack didn’t expect to be a bit nervous around this guy. The guy had gorgeous brown hair and a really nice face. His different colored eyes really made him stand out in a crowd even though it wasn’t naturally heterochromia like Jack had. The man’s outfit was a little silly, but Jack liked it. It was fun and playful.

“I like your shirt,” Jack complimented. “Got a neat pattern. It’s…pretty cool.”

The man blushed a bit and smiled at the compliment.

“I’m Jack,” Jack said, holding out his hand.

Jack figured that the guy knew Jack already, but he figured he should introduce himself anyway.

“I’m Rhys,” the man replied as he shook Jack’s hand.

Jack quickly noticed that the hand that shook his own was made of metal. Jack looked at Rhys’ robotic hand.

‘Class 3? Possibly even 4? The other Council members will not like this. Not one bit. But. I don’t think I care,’ Jack thought to himself.

Things were going quite well with Rhys. Why should Jack have to stop just because Rhys wasn’t as high a Class as the Council would like?

“Very nice to meet you, Rhys,” Jack replied. “Enjoying the gala?”

“Yes. It’s very well decorated,” Rhys answered with a hint of nervousness.

“I agree. I’ll make sure to tell the people who set it all up that they did a very good job,” Jack responded with a chuckle. “I saw you at the parade. You almost fell over the ropes.”

“Oh yeah…” Rhys giggled and blushed with a bit of embarrassment. “I was uh…trying to get a closer look at your…float. It was really cool.”

Jack laughed a bit, and so did Rhys.

“Yeah. I didn’t design it. I’m not very artistic. I used to play a bit of piano, but I don’t really anymore,” Jack shrugged.

“I’d…love to hear you play sometime,” Rhys replied with a smile.

“Oh. You don’t want to hear me play. I’m no good,” Jack laughed.

“Even if you are the worst pianist ever, I’d still like to hear you play. Besides, I bet you aren’t THAT bad. I bet I’m worse,” Rhys countered.

“Yeah, probably. I am pretty great actually. I should give myself more credit,” Jack joked. “But anyway, I wish that they were playing some livelier music. It would make it so much easier to get you onto the dance floor with me.”

Rhys shrugged a bit. He was trying to act a bit cool, but his bright blush gave away how happy he was.

“I’ll dance with you even if they play a song called ‘Nails Scraping on a Chalkboard’,” Rhys replied.

Jack was beginning to get a bit nervous. Things were going so well that reality was beginning to set in and at the worst time too. Reality tended to be a jerk like that.

“I’m gonna head to the bathroom a moment. You wait here, and I’ll be right back,” Jack promised.

Jack rushed to the bathroom. A pair of guards saw him and went over to him. Jack entered the one person, men’s restroom as the guards stood outside. Jack was pacing nervously around the bathroom. Things were going just swimmingly. Why had Jack even left? Fear was probably why.

Jack really really liked Rhys and really wanted to try dating him. However, it was so taboo. Jack wasn’t even supposed to have had that conversation with Rhys, let alone start dating him. What would the other Council members say? What would Tassiter say? “Grow up.” That’s what Tassiter would say.

“You’re taking a while in there, sir!” one of the guards called to Jack.

“Don’t talk to me while I’m…taking a whizz!” Jack snapped.

Jack wasn’t really using the bathroom, but he decided he might as well pretend to be.

“Grow up.” Those two words just lingered in Jack’s mind for a while.

‘I will grow up. I’m going to grow up and stop letting Tassiter control my life. I can date whoever I want, and I want to date Rhys!’ Jack thought.

Jack saw a bit of motion under the door. A note was slipped under the door. Jack reached down and picked up the note. The small note read:

Sir. You said not to talk to you, so we wrote a note. You are taking a long time in there. Are you okay? Yes or no?

Jack sighed and wrote “Yes” on the back of the note, along with the words “Don’t write me notes while I’m in the bathroom either”. Jack slipped the note back under the door, took a few deep breaths, and left the bathroom. He moved past the guards and over to the bar again where Rhys was still waiting for him.

“Okay. Still ready for that dance?” Jack asked, holding out his hand.

Rhys turned to look at Jack again and blushed brightly.

“Yes of course,” Rhys replied as he took Jack’s hand.

Rhys looked at someone else who was sitting at the bar.

“I’m going to dance awhile. Be back later, bro!” Rhys said.

The man groaned, not even bothering to look at who Rhys was going with, as he slurped down a lemonade.

“Go on ahead. Just come back soon,” the man grumbled.

“I will,” Rhys promised, and then Jack pulled Rhys over to the large dance hall.


	5. Bringing The Boyfriend Home

Rhys was blushing quite a bit. Jack had gone to the restroom for a moment. Rhys couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Not only did he get to see Jack again, but he got to talk to Jack. Jack seemed to be taking an interest in Rhys already, and Rhys was quite happy about that.

“Vaughn. The best thing just happened. Weren’t you paying attention?” Rhys asked as he poked Vaughn’s shoulder.

“No I wasn’t. I just… I need a few minutes, okay? I’m not used to big parties…with elites,” Vaughn replied as ordered a fifth lemonade.

“Yeah. I understand. You just take it easy,” Rhys replied.

Rhys was so happy and excited. Jack liked him! Rhys’ stomach felt like it was full of nervous butterflies. What if Rhys screwed things up? What if their relationship didn’t work out? What if they never even get a relationship? What if?

Jack returned after a while in the bathroom. Rhys had begun to worry a bit, but Jack had returned. He offered his hand to Rhys in a gentlemanly manor. Rhys blushed and took Jack’s hand as he agreed to have a dance with Jack. Rhys quickly told Vaughn that he was going to dance. Vaughn waved his hand without looking up.

“Go on ahead. Just come back soon,” the Vaughn groaned.

Rhys agreed and allowed Jack to pull him away to the dance hall. He giggled with excitement and a hint of fear as Jack led him through the crowd to the center of the large, glamorous hall. They were standing just below the disco ball. The song that was playing was a slow, romantic song that was mostly played on piano. Jack gently took Rhys’ flesh hand in his own hand and placed his other hand on Rhys’ hip. Rhys blushed with an even brighter red hue.

“I don’t know how to dance. I never have before,” Rhys whispered nervously to Jack.

“Just follow my lead. You’ll be just fine. I’ve got you,” Jack promised as he began to move a bit to the music.

Rhys swayed with Jack and took a step when he did. It was a bit awkward at first, but Rhys soon adjusted to Jack’s dancing style. Once Rhys was more comfortable, Jack was able to do fancier moves. He twirled Rhys a couple times. Then he dipped Rhys down low as he held onto him. Rhys giggled with delight as Jack held him above the floor. Then Rhys noticed that people were watching, and they didn’t really look happy.

“Jack. People are watching us,” Rhys whispered.

“Let them watch. They’re just jealous,” Jack replied quietly.

Jack pulled Rhys back up and spun him again. Rhys laughed happily and looked into Jack’s eyes. Jack had a pair of natural, perfectly mismatched eyes. Rhys also admired Jack’s wonderfully styled hair.

Jack guided Rhys back over to the bar to have a quick drink. Jack ordered an orange juice for himself while Rhys got another grapefruit drink.

Rhys tapped Vaughn’s shoulder.

“You won’t believe who I just danced with, Vaughn. It was sooo amazing! He’s awesome!” Rhys ranted happily.

“Hmmm…” Vaughn groaned unhappily as he kept his head buried in his arms.

“You alright?” Rhys asked worriedly. “Maybe we should head on home?”

“No no,” Vaughn mumbled. “I’ll head home. You stay here and enjoy yourself.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?” Rhys asked.

“Nah. I’ll be fine,” Vaughn insisted. “Everyone who would mug me is here at the party. I should be able to get home fine.”

Vaughn stood up slowly.

“Just knock on the door when you get home. I’ll let you in,” Vaughn told Rhys quickly before shuffling quickly out of the dance hall.

Rhys watched with worry as his bro hurried out of the hall. He felt really bad for making Vaughn come with him in the first place.

“I wish he could’ve met you. You’re really nice, but he didn’t even see you…” Rhys sighed as he turned to Jack.

“It’s alright. I’m sure I’ll get another chance to meet your friend,” Jack told Rhys. “I’m really into you.”

Rhys blushed a little as he fidgeted shyly.

“I’m…into you too,” Rhys replied.

“Well. Seems we both like each other, so how ‘bout it?” Jack asked.

“How about what?” Rhys inquired, tilting his head a bit.

“You and me dating. What do you think?” Jack clarified with a smirk.

Rhys found himself blushing even more. Surely his whole face must’ve been bright red at that point.

“Yes. I would love that,” Rhys replied, but then a thought occurred to him. “Aren’t you really busy? Don’t you also live far away? When will I see you?”

“I can always come visit. I’m not as busy as you’d think,” Jack replied with a chuckle. “Why don’t we head back to your place when the party’s over? Don’t worry. We won’t do anything crazy.”

Rhys embraced Jack with a warm hug.

“I’d like that…” Rhys sighed happily and released Jack.

“That’s good,” Jack replied with a smile. “While we wait for all the other people to clear outta here, why don’t we chill for a while in one of the lounges? Get to know each other better.”

“Sounds like a good plan, but don’t you have to walk around and socialize?” Rhys asked, tilting his head a bit.

“Yeah, but I’m getting tired of socializing. I’m sure no one will mind if I take it easy the rest of the night,” Jack answered with a shrug. “If I have to make an excuse, then I’ll just tell the guards to tell the guests that I tripped and bruised my arm. Everyone will buy it as an excuse. All the other Class 1’s act so frail and delicate. I can pretend for one night.”

Rhys giggled at Jack’s clever plan and nodded. Jack took Rhys’ hand gently and led him to one of the lounge rooms. A pair of guards followed behind from a distance. The two smitten men slipped into a very fancy room. Jack told the guards to keep watch and shut the door.

Rhys looked around the lounge that Jack had chosen. It was such a nice room. There were a few fancy couches for lounging around on and flowy curtains for the windows. There were a few vases with flowers in them placed around the room. There was a nice rug on the floor that had a curly, floral pattern. The whole room was lit up by a small chandelier that hung from the ceiling.

Jack took a seat on one of the couches. He patted his hand on the couch, signaling Rhys to come sit beside him.

Rhys blushed and took a seat beside Jack.

“Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself, pumpkin?” Jack asked with a smile.

“Oh. There isn’t really much to tell. I was born yesterday, so I haven’t done anything really exciting yet. Besides being with you I mean,” Rhys replied.

-

Jack chuckled at Rhys’ little joke.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. You’ll get to do some exciting stuff soon. You just gotta get out there and figure out what you want,” Jack assured Rhys.

Jack smirked as a bright blush came across Rhys’ cheeks. Jack had no idea that Rhys wanted to say that what he wanted was Jack.

“Um… What about you? What’s your life been like?” Rhys inquired.

“Oh. Well. It’s been pretty boring. The other Class 1’s just keep me around the palace and teach me the law and stuff. I already know the law!” Jack sighed, but he regained his composure. “It’s pretty nice up there though. Pretty relaxed. I do crave excitement sometimes. They all just want to keep me locked up in the palace. I rarely even get to go to downtown Helios… This is the first time I’ve been out of Helios! They always treat me like a baby! Sometimes it feels like I was born yesterday…”

Jack looked at Rhys’ concerned expression and realized he had gone off on a rant in front of a guy he just met.

“Sorry! Got a bit carried away there,” Jack apologized. “It’s just frustrating when no one lets you prove your worth.”

“Yeah. I mean. I’ve never had that problem, but I see what you mean,” Rhys responded with understanding.

Jack noticed Rhys scoot a little closer to him.

“I think you’re pretty awesome,” Rhys complimented with a soft smile.

Jack wrapped his arm around Rhys’ shoulders.

“Thanks. I think you’re awesome too, cupcake,” Jack chuckled.

Jack chuckled when Rhys’ blush grew another shade brighter.

One of the guards knocked on the door of the lounge room. Jack gave them permission to come in.

“Sir. The guests are leaving. We should probably head back to Helios now,” one of the guards informed Jack.

“Nah. I’m gonna hang out in Concordia for a while longer. Take in a few more sights. You all head on home. I’ll be back tomorrow,” Jack insisted.

It was not uncommon for Class 1’s to linger in a city on Birth Day to party some more. A lot of Class 1’s enjoyed being with the people to listen to gossip and chill out. Jack was the youngest, so the guards were a bit reluctant about leaving him in Concordia alone. All the other Class 1’s could handle themselves just fine, so the guards agreed.

Jack and Rhys headed out of Concordia’s Dance Hall and hit the town together. They only went out to goof off a bit before heading to Rhys’ place. Jack and Rhys wandered around the shopping district of downtown Concordia, looking at decorations, knick-knacks, clothes, and other stuff.

“Ooooh! Jack! Look at this!” Rhys called when he saw a pair of shoes he liked in one store.

Jack walked over and laid his eyes on the obnoxious, snakeskin shoes. Rhys picked up one of the shoes and looked on the heel for the price. Rhys cringed at the high cost and disappointedly set the shoes down. Rhys was hoping to know how much they cost, so he could save for them. They were way too expensive for him.

Jack didn’t really think the shoes were all that great, but Rhys liked them. That’s what mattered.

“Gimme your shoes,” Jack said, holding out his hands.

Rhys took off his shoes confusedly and handed them to Jack. Jack checked the shoe size, handed Rhys his dress shoes back, and asked one of the employees to get him a pair of the tacky, snakeskin shoes in Rhys’ size. Jack payed for the shoes, and they headed out of the store.

Rhys excitedly opened the shoe box to take a quick look at the shoes inside.

“Jack. Look. There’s a third shoe in here,” Rhys said, showing Jack the box.

Surely, there was a second, right shoe in the box. It must’ve been a weird accident.

Rhys handed Jack the extra shoe.

“Why don’t you keep it. To remember me while you’re in Helios,” Rhys chuckled.

Jack held the stupid shoe fondly.

“Of course,” Jack replied with a smirk.

The two decided to head back to Rhys’ place.

-

Rhys guided Jack out of downtown and to his apartment. They went to the door to the room. It was locked, so Rhys knocked. Vaughn trudged over to the door and opened it slowly as he rubbed his tired eyes.

“Rhys… Good. You’re home,” Vaughn yawned. “I was beginning to-!”

Vaughn’s eyes snapped open wide when he saw Jack standing there. The Class 1. Jack. Right there. In front of him. Vaughn shut his mouth tightly to keep himself from screaming in shock and a bit of fear.

“Vaughn. This is Jack,” Rhys introduced with a smile as he and Jack stepped into the room.

“I know who he is,” Vaughn retorted as he shut the door. “V-very nice to meet you, J-Jack.”

Vaughn held out a shaky hand to Jack. All Vaughn could think about was how the Class 1 would probably want to kick the two lower class people around for a while. Vaughn knew his place, and he knew he deserved to have the Class 1 beat him up. He still dreaded the thought of pain. Vaughn had heard a few stories of Class 1’s beating the shit out of some lower Class people for a laugh. Jack wasn’t like that, but Vaughn didn’t know.

Jack gently shook Vaughn’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Jack greeted with a smile.

“Rhys? Can I talk to you for a second?” Vaughn asked.

Rhys shrugged and followed Vaughn into the kitchen. Vaughn shut the door, leaving Jack to wander around their living room for a bit.

“Rhys! Why did you bring him here?” Vaughn whispered urgently.

“What’s wrong with him?” Rhys inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“He’s BETTER than us! We’re not supposed to hang around him. We’re supposed to keep to ourselves and let him be,” Vaughn ranted.

‘Is it really like that? Are we inferior to Class 1’s? Am I inferior to Jack?’ Rhys thought to himself. ‘No. Jack doesn’t think like that. He doesn’t think he’s above me. He likes me.’

“Jack is very nice. He wouldn’t hurt us or mock us,” Rhys assured Vaughn.

“How do you know that? How can you be so sure?” Vaughn countered as he rubbed his arms nervously.

“B-because I met him at the dance and we danced together and we talked and he likes me and…we’re dating now!” Rhys stammered out.

Vaughn looked up at Rhys. He worried for his bro. Vaughn was really hoping that Jack did actually like Rhys, even though the chances of that were very slim. Vaughn didn’t want to see Rhys with a broken heart because Rhys was clearly smitten.

“Alright…” Vaughn sighed. “We can…go hang out with him.”


	6. The Party's Aftermath

Jack looked around the small apartment while Rhys and the guy named Vaughn talked in the kitchen. Jack fumbled with the silly shoe in his hand as he paced around the small room. It was quite cramped. Jack had never been anywhere so small. He didn’t think he needed as much living space as he had, but the apartment seemed a little small to him.

Rhys and Vaughn came out of the kitchen after talking awhile. Jack wondered what they had discussed.

“Hello again. Did you guys have a good talk?” Jack asked.

“Y-yes,” Vaughn replied shakily.

“Are you okay? You seem on edge. You can relax. I’m cool,” Jack assured him with a smile.

“I’m fine,” Vaughn answered blankly.

Jack’s smile faded. This was not the reaction he expected. Most people liked Jack. He had never seen someone act like Vaughn was. Afraid, maybe?

Rhys stepped closer to Jack and smiled.

“It was a good talk. Don’t you worry,” Rhys promised.

Jack smiled and nodded.

“That’s good,” Jack replied. “I wouldn’t want you to be having a bad discussion. You guys seem real close.”

Jack gave Rhys a quick kiss on the cheek. Jack chuckled a bit when a bright blush blossomed on Rhys cheeks. Rhys squeaked a bit as he tried to hide his blush with his hand.

Vaughn looked over at Rhys and sighed a bit. Jack tilted his head at Vaughn’s response. Was he worried?

Rhys looked up at Vaughn and then at Jack. They could all feel this weird tension in the room.

“Maybe you two should-“ Rhys began.

“I’m going to get some air,” Jack interrupted as he stepped outside the apartment room.

He shut the door and sat outside the apartment to think a bit.

‘Why is Vaughn acting so weird? Is there something wrong with me? I’m a good guy! Does he not want me to be with Rhys or something?’ Jack thought to himself. ‘It seems like everything is against me dating him…’

Jack held the tacky shoe in his hands and looked at it as he pondered what he should do.

-

Rhys watched with sad eyes as Jack left the apartment. He stood in silence beside Vaughn, sorting through his impulses.

“Rhys… Maybe this is for the best. It’s easier if-“ Vaughn began.

“No. It’s not easier…” Rhys grumbled.

“But it wouldn’t last, Rhys. You know that. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Vaughn replied, placing a hand on Rhys’ shoulder. “You’re just a novelty to him. He’ll probably be gone in a week anyway.”

“No! Why are you saying these awful things about him? You don’t know him!” Rhys snapped, pulling away from Vaughn.

“These things just happen! The Class 1’s NEVER love people like us,” Vaughn insisted.

“You don’t know that he’s the same! You don’t know these things!” Rhys roared.

“Rhys, I’m just trying-“ Vaughn began.

“NO! You’re no helping at all! You just want to drive him away!” Rhys interrupted angrily, turning to go get Jack from outside the apartment.

Rhys opened the door to talk to him, but he was gone. Jack wasn’t there. Rhys looked down the halls to see if maybe he was just leaning against a different wall but no. He was gone.

“Rhys… I’m so-“ Vaughn tried to apologize as he walked over to Rhys.

“This is all your fault! I just wanted to date him, but now he’s gone off to Helios again! I’ll never see him again!” Rhys cried.

Vaughn opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it. There was nothing he could say to ease Rhys’ pain and rage.

Rhys wanted to storm out. He wanted to run out into the night and find some way to ease his pain, but he didn’t. Rhys went back into the apartment and buried himself in the blanket and pillow of his bed. Vaughn reached out a hand to pat Rhys’ shoulder, but Rhys screamed into his pillow. Vaughn stepped away and sat down on his own bed.

Vaughn sat there as his mind tormented him with thoughts of how it was all his fault, how he shouldn’t have treated Jack that way, how he shouldn’t have wanted Jack to go away. An hour passed, and there came a knocking at the apartment door.

Vaughn stood and answered the door. Jack was there, holding a bouquet of flowers that he had bought and cradling a stupid shoe in his other arm.

“I got these for Rhys. These flowers. I just needed to walk around a bit,” Jack said. “Can I come in?”

Vaughn nodded silently and allowed Jack back into the apartment.

“He missed you. He thought you were gone forever,” Vaughn whispered.

Vaughn watched as Jack went over to Rhys and gave him another peck on the cheek. Rhys lifted his head a bit and looked at Jack who stood beside the bed. Jack set the shoe down on the nightstand and used the free hand to wipe the tears from Rhys’ face.

“I would never leave you. It’s gonna be okay. I’m right here,” Jack promised.

“I missed you so much,” Rhys sniffled as he sat up and hugged Jack.

Vaughn found himself smiling a bit at how much Rhys cared about Jack already. Maybe this relationship would work.

“I got you these flowers,” Jack said as he handed the bouquet of multicolored roses to Rhys. “I hope you like them.”

Jack looked over at the clock. 12:35 am.

“I gotta get going. The other Class 1’s will be worried if I’m not home soon,” Jack sighed.

“How will I be able to talk to you while you’re in Helios?” Rhys asked.

“I’ll write down my phone number for you,” Jack said with a nod. “Do you have paper and a pencil?”

“I’ll grab those things,” Vaughn said, standing and going to look for the supplies.

“I don’t have a phone…” Rhys sighed.

“Oh. Here,” Jack offered as he reached into his pocket and handed Rhys a few hundred dollar bills. “You can get one with that.”

Vaughn came back with the pencil and paper and handed them to Jack. Jack quickly but legibly wrote his number down on the paper and handed it to Rhys. Jack nodded, made sure to grab the shoe that Rhys had given him, and left the apartment to head back to Helios.

Rhys looked at the money Jack had given him and set it aside for a moment. Vaughn picked it up to count it, but Rhys was more interested in looking at Jack’s phone number. Jack had such neat handwriting.

“This is like $500. We should hold onto some for later use. I mean, if you want. He did give this to you,” Vaughn advised. “And I’m sorry for acting the way I did. I shouldn’t have judged Jack for other people’s actions…”

“It’s alright, Vaughn. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You were just looking out for me,” Rhys replied. “I’ll buy a pretty cheap phone. I’ll leave some money for you.”

“I’m really sorry. I judged him wrongly,” Vaughn apologized again.

“You’re good, Vaughn,” Rhys assured him with a smile, standing up and hugging his bro. “We’re bros, bro.”

Vaughn hugged him back.

“That whole thing was emotionally taxing,” Vaughn sighed.

“Agreed. Let’s never fight again,” Rhys replied.

“No promises, bro. I mean, I promise that I won’t judge Jack anymore, but if you try and wear your weird shirt with your tacky, new shoes, then I’ll have to speak up,” Vaughn chuckled.

“What’s wrong with my new shoes?” Rhys asked, a pout on his face.

Vaughn burst out laughing, and Rhys crossed his arms.

“There’s nothing wrong with them! They’re good shoes!” Rhys insisted.

The two argued playfully about Rhys’ fashion sense for a few more minutes before finally going to bed. Rhys curled up under his blanket and dreamt of Jack that night. The dream was quite peaceful. They were lying in a field together, staring up at clouds together. Jack pointed out a cloud shaped like Rhys’ shoe, and Rhys showed Jack a cloud that looked like Jack’s swoopy hair. They laughed and laughed together, and then Rhys woke up.

Rhys sighed when he realized it had been a dream, but he sat up and stretched his arms. Rhys looked over at the paper on the nightstand that had Jack’s number neatly scrawled onto the page. Rhys picked it up and held it fondly. Then he realized something.

Rhys needed a phone.

“Vaughn. I need to go get a phone. You coming with?” Rhys asked.

“Yeah…” Vaughn yawned as he sat up as well. “I’m not letting you walk around with that much money by yourself.”

Rhys got dressed in the first outfit that he had owned and slipped on his new shoes over the socks that Vaughn had loaned him. Vaughn changed into something a bit more casual as well. Vaughn only owned five outfits. He could’ve had more, but he was saving up money for a better life. Someday he hoped to have enough money for an education.

The two headed out to a smaller shopping district instead of going downtown. Vaughn knew Rhys didn’t like the crowds. They walked into a store that sold phones and other electronics. Vaughn saw most of the customers looked quite a bit wealthier and higher Class than he was. Vaughn stuck close to Rhys. Rhys was a pretty respectable Class. Vaughn felt safer when Rhys did the talking.

“Excuse me. I’d like to buy a cell phone,” Rhys asked one of the assistants.

The assistant turned and smiled at Rhys. She paid Vaughn no mind. Partly because she was focused on her customer, but mostly she was just trying to ignore the Class 6.

“Well, we have money phones to choose from. The most popular phone we have is the Hyperion 7.0. Everyone wants one, they’re just amazing. It can hold twice as much data as the previous model and comes equipped with a few small tools,” the assistant explained.

“How much is it?” Rhys asked.

“Only $475. It’s quite cheap for such a new and improved model,” the lady answered.

Rhys knew he could afford it, but he wanted to save plenty of money for Vaughn to have.

“What’s the cheapest phone you have?” Rhys asked the assistant.

“We have something we can install in your robot arm that can act as a phone, but it can only text and call. No apps or anything,” the assistant answered. “It’s $50.”

“I’ll take that then,” Rhys replied with a nod.

The assistant shrugged and went to get the part for Rhys’ arm. It was considered fancier to have a hand-held phone than the part installed in a robot part. The robot parts were considered ugly to begin with. Why upgrade them?

The assistant helped Rhys install the part in the palm of Rhys’ robot arm, and he paid for it. She helped him learn how the phone worked, and Rhys and Vaughn headed back to the apartment.

“We can get lunch in a bit. What sounds good to you?” Vaughn asked.

“You pick. I don’t know what food is nearby,” Rhys answered as he looked at the holographic screen the floated above his palm.

“You gonna give Jack a call?” Vaughn asked.

“Yes,” Rhys replied as he looked at the number written on the piece of paper.

-

Jack had gotten back to the palace at 1:30am. Tassiter was wondering why Jack was so late, but Jack ignored him and went straight to bed. Jack curled up to rest. He couldn’t wait for Rhys’ call.

Jack lay in the silk sheets and under the soft blanket as he dreamed of being with Rhys. They were by a lake, folding paper sailboats to release into the water. Jack was having trouble folding them, but Rhys helped him neatly fold a beautiful, paper boat. Jack smiled as they slipped the boat into the water together.

Jack’s eyes snapped open at the sound of his phone ringing. He picked it up and answered it. He selected the video chat and Rhys’ face appeared on the screen.

Jack smiled softly and began to chat with Rhys.


End file.
